The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes · Character
Mr. Melas
A Greek interpreter whose gift for languages makes him invaluable to London's police — and dangerously useful to the men who abduct him for a midnight job.
supporting
Also known as this Mr. Melas, Melas
First appearance: The Greek Interpreter
As a supporting figure in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Melas is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Greek interpreter who is kidnapped twice to translate for the captors; rescued but traumatized.
Melas moves between two worlds: respectable enough to be summoned by Scotland Yard when a foreigner must be understood, yet foreign enough himself to be seized off the street without anyone raising an alarm. His professional pride in accuracy becomes his trap, since the men who take him need a translator precisely because they cannot speak to their prisoner. His ordeal gives Holmes one of his strangest problems — a crime reported by its own unwilling accomplice.
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Character Web
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Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Yellow Face secret
- Protagonist
- Silver Blaze case
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Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the narrative climax is marked by Watson’s psychological peak of self-conscious frustration a…
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Mr. Melas appears across 1 companion beat. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
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See Mr. Melas in The Greek Interpreter